


i don't have a latte but give me a shot

by marvelousmsmol



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Is Sunshine, Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Barista Adrien Agreste, Customer Marinette Dupain Cheng, F/M, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Marinette's caffeine addiction, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, be nice to food service workers or else, love at first annoyance, one black coffee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 03:35:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28646889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marvelousmsmol/pseuds/marvelousmsmol
Summary: Marinette Dupain Cheng and Adrien Agreste will make fools of themselves in front of each other, that is a fact. But, what is also true is it will only endear them to each other even more.A tale of caffeine addictions, flirtatious encounters, and idiots starting to fall in love.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 25
Kudos: 171





	i don't have a latte but give me a shot

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GalahadWilder](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalahadWilder/gifts).



> Happy birthday Galahad! Since this (what turned out to be an insanely long one shot) came from your idea originally I thought this would be the perfect time to gift it to you! :)

Marinette hadn’t wanted to switch cafés. 

Mornings were already bad enough for her without having to deal with any annoying mishaps  _ outside _ of work. Up until recently, the previous café had never gotten her order wrong, greeted her with a smile every morning, and sometimes slipped her a free  _ kouign-amann _ . But everything had gone downhill when the café had switched owners, and Marinette wasn’t about to spend five euros on a cup of coffee if it wasn’t going to be any good. She was a snob- not in the least bit afraid to admit it- and her standards were high when it came to her morning pick-me-up. 

The café she was headed to now was a little further out of her way then she was used to, but the reviews had made it seem as though it was worth the extra five blocks she had to walk to get to it. Luckily, she was smart enough to pack her heels in her purse and wear a pair of trainers instead. 

Marinette usually made a point to get her coffee before the morning rush, but the line was already out the door by the time she had gotten there. She joined the queue, deciding all too easily to brave it for the sake of her caffeine obsession. She bounced impatiently on her toes as she moved up slowly to the front of the line, checking her watch every so often. 

“Good morning,” the barista said as she finally made it up to the counter. 

Marinette was busy digging around her in purse, trying to get her wallet out, as she fumbled for the words to say “one black coffee.” As she finally managed to get ahold on the wallet, Marinette looked up. “Yeah, can I-” She paused, eyes locked on the barista in front of her with an embarrassingly stunned silence. 

_ No wonder this place is so busy, _ Marinette thought to herself. _ I am so not immune to this, and I  _ **_so_ ** _ don’t have time for it today. _

“I’ll have a light roast. Black,” Marinette forced herself to say, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. 

“What size?” he asked, punching in her order on the register. 

“Oh, biggest size you have?” Marinette said, waving her hand absentmindedly. “Whatever that is.”  
The barista stopped, looking up at her with a raised eyebrow. “That’s this,” He said, holding up a large sized cup. “And you want to fill it with just… black coffee?”

Marinette narrowed her eyes, furrowed her brows, giving him a bewildered look. “...Yes?”

He tisked, shrugging his shoulders slightly as he completed the order, actions that did not escape Marinette’s notice. She passed along the money, not once changing her expression, and he seemed just as judgemental. 

“You can pick it up at the end,” he said, pointing down the counter without even looking at her. 

Marinette practically snatched her change back from his hand and turned on her heel as she walked away from the register. She stood there with a few others, pushed out of the way every time people ahead of her were called up for their orders. Trying to occupy herself by looking at her phone, Marinette almost missed the barista calling her name. He leaned across the counter, passing it between their hands, and Marinette got the feeling that there was something he wanted to say. She raised an eyebrow, daring him to comment, but it seemed he was sensible enough to keep his thoughts to himself.

“There you go. One black coffee,” he said. His lips were pulled into a taut line, and Marinette could feel his gaze boring into her. 

“Thanks.” Marinette looked him directly in the eye. Fortunately, he was leaning against the counter, so she didn’t have to crane her neck. Her flat sneakers didn’t quite give her the height she needed to strike an imposing stance. 

Marinette turned to walk back to the entrance, and was barely five feet away from the counter when she heard him calling back to her. “Enjoy your day!” 

She couldn’t stop herself from whipping her head around to look at him, without breaking her stride, only to see a goofy smile on his face that she was sure was meant to mock her further. Even the glare she gave him wasn’t enough to make him falter. Taking a long gulp of her coffee, Marinette turned back around and raised her cup to him as she reached the door. The others in line gave her a confused look, but the barista waved back as though he hadn’t just insulted her and her caffeine habits. 

_ Whatever, I don’t have to come back here anyway,  _ Marinette grumbled internally as she headed down the sidewalk towards the office. 

\---------------------

Adrien hadn’t wanted to cover the late shift. He’d been at the café since early this morning, and woken up thinking that by now he’d be home. 

But Adrien was here instead, thirty minutes from closing time, sweeping the floor covered in dirt from customers tracking it in all day. His grouch of a manager had thankfully already left, and things were starting to wind down, so Adrien had rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt and undone the top couple of buttons. It made him sweat less in a room where the heater was probably up too high, but he could feel the cool breeze come through the door every time it opened. 

Adrien felt that very breeze as he bent down to pick up the dustpan, and turned to see who had come in. He was quite sure he could hear her heavy breathing before he saw her. Her cheeks were a deep red color, hair a disheveled mess, and she was trying to sling her purse back onto her shoulder as the strap slipped down her arm. 

It took him a second to realize that he recognized her. “One black coffee” girl from earlier that day had found her way back here. Adrien didn’t often keep the faces and quirks in his mind, especially one he had only seen once, but she was an exception. 

Making his way to the other side of the counter, Adrien met her at the register. She set her purse down on the counter with a slam and took a deep breath. 

“You’re back,” Adrien said, stating a fact more than asking a question. 

“Yes,” she answered. “And?”

“Well, I thought you might have had a heart attack since I saw you. You know…” Adrien trailed off, nodding his head towards the stack of venti cups next to him. 

Her eyes flicked back and forth between him and the stack of cups; whatever thing was going on, she was clearly still in the middle of working through it, and her brain was only working at a speed of a mile an hour. Adrien waited for his joke to settle in. 

A few seconds later, she cleared her throat and shook her head. “Whatever, just-” she began, pausing as a frown passed over her face. “Just give me the same thing I had this morning.” 

The corner of Adrien’s mouth ticked up into a smirk. He forced himself to hold back another quippy remark, grabbing a cup from the stack and a pen from the counter. “Can I get a name?”

The tip of the pen hovered over the surface of the paper cup as he awaited her answer. 

“You didn’t ask me for my name this morning,” she said, quirking an eyebrow. 

“Didn’t have enough time,” Adrien said with a shrug, and glanced around the café. “But, there’s no one here now.” 

She scoffed. “If I tell you are you going to get me my drink faster, or are you going to take this as a sign that you can now flirt with me-”

“Woah, woah.” Adrien held up his hands out in front of him, trying desperately to stop the smile forming on his face, which would give up this ruse. “Who said anything about flirting with you? It’s actually company policy to ask for a customer’s name so we can identify their order. I’m just trying to be professional, ma’am.” 

“Oh, God,” she said, raising her hands up to cover her face from view. He imagined she was flustered. Blushing, even. 

She let out a deep sigh. “Just, please. One black coffee _ to go.”  _

Adrien scribbled “one black coffee” on the cup in his messy handwriting and set it down on the counter behind him. They quickly exchanged money, and Adrien murmured a “thanks” as she gave him the exact change. 

Turning to the back counter, Adrien picked up the empty cup and went to fill it up with the regular house brew. He stopped, his hand hovering over the lever. Adrien stepped back, placing the cup back on the counter as he moved to brew a fresh pot of coffee for her, this late customer who had shown up thirty minutes before closing time. It wasn’t something he was supposed to do this late, but if she was going to drink this, it should at least be fresh.

“Uh, you realize that light roast has the highest caffeine content, right?” Adrien asked, his back still turned to her. 

When there was no answer, Adrien looked back to see if she was still even there - and she was, standing in the same spot in front of the register. She was looking down at her phone, completely oblivious to him. She didn’t have any airpods when she walked in, did she?

Adrien tried to turn back to his work, but he couldn’t help glancing back at her. It didn’t take him long to notice that her fingers were shaking as they hovered over the screen, and that the breathing pattern she had when she had entered the café was still the same. 

“So…what’s the cause of your evening caffeine cravings?” Adrien asked, speaking loud enough to absolutely make sure she heard him. “We don’t get a lot of people coming in here this close to closing.”  
“You were closing?” she asked, slightly shocked. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I wouldn’t have-”

“No,” Adrien answered quickly. “No, it’s okay. I can afford to make one more cup of coffee for the day.” 

She visibly relaxed, but there still seemed to be a guilty look on her face. In an instant, she looked back down at her phone, seemingly shutting herself away from him again.

“Not going to answer my original question, I see,” Adrien said. Her head snapped back up to him, but Adrien just shrugged and turned away from him.

“It’s uh- I have to pull an all nighter at the office,” she said. “Moved up deadlines, perfectionist tendencies messing everything up. You know?”  
“No, I don’t,” Adrien laughed, shaking his head a little. “You kind of don’t have to worry about those things here. That’s why I like it.” 

She gave him a pointed look. “The lack of responsibility?” she asked. “That’s why you’re still working as a barista at-”

“Twenty-four,” Adrien finished for her. “And, no, it’s not the lack of responsibility. It’s the fact that I had too much before.”

The girl fell silent at that. Adrien considered the fact that he might have said too much in that moment, revealed too much about himself, something that was always bound to make people uncomfortable. He tried to brush it off, pouring the freshly brewed cup of coffee into the cup. Putting on the lid and sleeve, Adrien finally turned back to her and pasted a smile on his face. “Here you go.”  
“Thanks - this is pretty much dinner for me,” he said as she reached out to take.

Adrien pulled back, the smile slipping from his face. Her hand froze in mid-air as he kept the cup out of her reach. Eventually, she let out a huff and slammed her hands down on the counter. “What are you doing?”  
“I can’t give this to you,” Adrien said, wincing at her irritation. “Not in good conscience, at least!” 

“What do you mean  _ you can’t give it to me _ ,” she demanded. She reached for it again, but Adrien just held it up higher in the air. “I paid money for that!”

“Did you at least eat lunch today? Breakfast?” Adrien asked. He got his answer as she remained silent. “I don’t want to be held responsible for your death!” 

“Oh, God, I’m not going to _die,”_ she shot back, finally managing to snatch it out of his hand. “You’re very nosy, aren’t you?”  
“I just have a high capacity for empathy,” Adrien deadpanned. 

The woman didn’t bother to reply. She simply turned away and headed towards the door. A sinking feeling appeared in his chest as though he wouldn’t see her again after this. “Hey! Wait!” Adrien called. He grabbed one of the pre-bagged pastries from the rack and tossed it across the room. 

She turned and caught it expertly, not even flinching as it flew towards her. It was only once it was in her hand did she look down at the object to see what it was. “What’s this for?”  
“Maybe have some actual food for dinner,” Adrien said. 

She shoved the pastry in her pocket and bowed her head. “Thanks.” 

“You’re welcome,” he said. She paused there for a moment before exiting the café completely, and only after she had gone did Adrien realize… he’d never gotten her name. 

“Damn!” Adrien let out a frustrated groan and kicked the cabinet next to him. _ “OW!”  _

\-------------------------

What was Marinette supposed to do at this point? Spend a pointless amount of time looking for another café? By all accounts, this was the best place within a ten block radius from her office, and, unfortunately enough, the coffee was pretty damn good. 

She had contemplated never setting foot there again after last night. But while a nosy barista was not something she considered to be a perk, he certainly did give the place… character. 

Weighed against one another, the pros came out on top, and Marinette found herself standing in the round-the-corner line outside of the café, patiently waiting for it to be her turn to order. She had come early enough that she wouldn’t be late for work no matter how long it took to round the corner. Besides, her boss wouldn’t fault her for showing a few minutes after she was supposed to clock in, as long as she brought a pastry with her. 

By the time Marinette reached the front of the line, she wasn’t at all surprised to find Mr. Nosy taking orders at the register. After the customer before her stepped aside, he looked down at the computer screen, pressing buttons to start a new order.

“Good morning, can I get a name for the order to start?” he asked without looking up.

“Marinette.” She waited as the barista slowly lifted his head, making eye contact with her, his mouth hanging open slightly. Marinette tried her hardest not to look at his lips, keeping a smile on her face as she waited for him to make the next move. 

He let out a soft chuckle as he typed her name into the computer. “Marinette…” he said in a whisper, and after a moment looked back up at her again. “What can I get for you, Marinette?”

“I think you know,” she said, quirking a brow as she leaned forward on the counter. 

The barista frowned as he reluctantly reached for the large sized cups. “Are you sure you don’t want me to make you something else? I’m pretty good at latte art. Maybe one with only one shot-”  
“I know what I like, thanks,” Marinette said. She was extremely aware of the fact that she had not stopped looking at him the entire time. Marinette was also aware of the fact that her intense gaze on him had had the desired effect; the steadily darkening red shade on his cheeks had not gone past her notice. “One large. Black. Coffee.”

He shook his head. His fingers hesitated over the screen before pressing the buttons to input her order with a frustrated sigh. Marinette handed him her credit card, signing for the order and adding a large tip on top of the five euro price. He nodded down to the end of the counter as he handed her card back to her. “You can pick it up down there.” 

“Thank you,” Marinette said, shoving her card back into her wallet. 

She waited patiently, checking messages on her phone. A large coffee cup was set down on the counter in front of her, and Marinette picked it up, ready to turn around and walk out of the shop. She paused, unsure why the sinking feeling in her stomach had suddenly appeared, but nonetheless she stopped, trying to figure out exactly what it was. After a moment of contemplation, she raised the coffee cup to her lips, taking the smallest sip.

Marinette grimaced. Sugar and a sickly sweet taste hit her taste buds. Without a moment’s hesitation, Marinette walked straight back up to the counter, setting the drink down with such great force that, for a moment, she was afraid the lid would break off and the hot drink would splash everywhere.

She spotted Mr. Nosy-Barista now standing by the espresso maker, preparing another customer’s order. 

“Hey!” Marinette called to him. His head shot up and he slowly turned as though looking for the source of the harsh call. When he spotted her standing there, Mr. Nosy-Barista reluctantly walked over to where she was waiting. Marinette looked from the drink back up to him. “What did you do?”

“Excuse me?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“You made the wrong one on purpose, didn’t you?” Marinette asked, scoffing. “What does it matter to you what I put into my body, really? Hmm? Or is it just some weird source of satisfaction for you to mess with people all the time?” 

“Okay, slow down,” he said, holding up his hand to stop her. “What exactly is the problem?”

Marinette picked up the drink, holding it up in front of his face and pointing at the label. “You put down something different than what I ordered.” 

He reached over and grabbed the drink out of her hand, moving his eyes off her briefly to look at the label. Sighing deeply, he set the drink back down on the counter, crossing his arms over his chest. “I didn’t put down something different than what you ordered.”

“But, then why-”

“You picked up the wrong drink.”

Marinette’s voice came to a stuttering stop. With her index finger raised in the air, eyes still wide from the furious pace of her rant, she took a moment to process his words before slowly lowering her hand and letting her shoulders slump. 

“It’s the wrong drink,” Marinette said.

“Yuuup,” he said with a  _ pop. _ Reaching across the counter, he took the cup and tossed it in the trash. “I’ll go get yours right now.” 

He turned on his heel and walked away before Marinette could get another word out. She stood pressed up against the counter watching him search through the finished orders that were waiting to be picked up. They were stacked up, clearly no one either hearing their name being called or stuck at the back of the crowd at the pick up area to reach theirs. 

Marinette stuck her hands into her pockets, turning to look out the window. The line into the place was still out the door. This particular trip had taken longer than she had anticipated, but that was mostly her fault. Still, she didn’t mind standing in the warm café with the smell of coffee beans and sugar all around her. It-

“Hey,” Mr. Nosy-Barista said, tapping her on the shoulder. 

Confused, Marinette whirled around, seeing him standing not a foot from her. “What are you doing?”

“Putting this,” he said, grabbing her wrist, “Directly into your hand so you don’t try to steal anyone else’s.”

As the cup of coffee came into contact with her hand, Marinette felt its warmth seep through her skin even warmer still was his hand, wrapped tightly around her own, making her feel inflamed. Marinette was at a loss for words, and yet, even as she probably looked like a ridiculous, stuttering mess, he still stood there, looking directly into her eyes. 

“Are you going to-” he began to ask, but the question was never finished. Marinette felt the person behind her push past her with their shoulder. The force threw her off balance, and in the crowded space there was no way to regain it. She pitched forward. Mr. Nosy Barista’s hand moved from her wrist to her biceps, the other wrapping around her back. Their chests were pressed together - with the cup of coffee between them. 

His heel dug into the ground, stopping them from falling to the floor completely. Mr. Nosy Barista helped Marinette find her balance again steadily. “Are you alright?” He asked.

_ “Aiisshhh,” _ Marinette hissed. “It’s hot.” 

The dark, hot water completely covered her chest, soaking her shirt. 

“Try to-” he said, reaching out and drawing his hand back repeatedly, “try to not let it touch your skin.”

“What the hell is going on here?” a gruff voice asked. One of the men who had been working behind the counter had come around the front as well. 

“Sorry, Boss,” Mr. Nosy Barista said. He let go of Marinette and stepped away from her like lightning. “Sorry, there’s was an issue and then-”

“Whatever, just…” the man said, trailing off as he continued to stare at the pair of them. The corner of his mouth ticked up slightly before the expression disappeared off his face, leaving a cold look. “Is this a regular, Adrien?”

“Adrien?” Marinette asked.  _ Adrien’s _ eyes flashed over to her for a second before turning back to his boss. “Your name is Adrien?”

“No, she’s new,” Adrien said. “She might be a regular, though.”  
“Let’s hope so,” the boss said. He gently took Marinette by the arm and started leading her back behind the counter. “We wouldn’t want to give any of our customers a reason not to come back. There’s a washroom in the back you can use.”

Marinette tried to back out of his grasp. “No, it’s okay. Really.”

“Please,” he insisted, gesturing to the door that led to the kitchen. “At least make sure you didn’t get burned.”

Pausing for a moment at the entrance, Marinette looked back and forth between Adrien and his boss. The manager was looking at her expectantly. She sighed. It wouldn’t be any good to go into work looking like a mess anyway. “Thank you, Monsieur-”

“Plagg,” he replied. “Adrien will help you with anything you need.”

Without a moment’s notice, they were both pushed through the door together. The contrast between the loud front of the café and the much more silent kitchen in the back made it extremely clear that they were very alone back here. 

Adrien cleared his throat. “I’ve got an extra shirt you could change into if you liked.”

“That would…” Marinette said. “That would be great. Thank you.”

Adrien faced away from her as Marinette stood in front of a mirror by the lockers with a wet towel and the shirt he had promised to lend her in hand. She wiped away the dregs of coffee still dripping down her torso and examined the red marks on her skin. They would fade in a while. She wasn’t too worried about it. 

“Does it look alright?” Adrien asked. Marinette made a confused noise, leaning away from the wall and looking down past the lockers to where he was standing. She could see Adrien’s start to turn to the side to look back behind, but quickly snapped back to attention, eyes facing front. “Your skin. Is- Is it okay?”

“Yes,” Marinette said, unable to stop herself from chuckling slightly at the worry in his voice. The initial burn had died down and it didn’t hurt that much anymore. “I’ll be alright.”

She turned her attention back to the mirror in front of her, slipping the t-shirt he had given her over her head. It was pretty informal for the office, but she would have to make it work. She rolled up the large sleeves so they didn’t hang halfway down her arms. She wondered who would need a t-shirt this big…

Turning her head, she eyed the back of Adrien’s tight-fitted white button up uniform, raising her eyebrows. She could she the fabric shift and his muscles tighten as he swayed back and forth from the balls of his feet to his heels. Marinette hadn’t really thought about it when he had caught her in his arms before, but she definitely got a good idea of how large his biceps were...

Marinette shook her head furiously. She grabbed her navy blue blazer and threw it back over the shirt, reaching into her purse for an oversized belt that she had (thankfully) left in there the other day, and tightened it around her waist. The outfit was more suited for a casual Friday, but it would have to do.

“Hey,” Marinette said, tapping Adrien on the shoulder. “Thank you.” 

Adrien turned around to face her. “It’s no problem,” he said. “You’ll probably have to come back to bring it back though.”

“It’s no problem,” Marinette said. 

Adrien led Marinette back into the loud and crowded café. Marinette was determined to get back out of there without incident. She slung her purse over her shoulder, and Adrien held open the small partition between the counter and the seating area for her. 

“All settled?” Plagg asked. 

Marinette nodded. “Thank you for letting me use your back room.”

“It’s the least we can do to make up for it,” Plagg said. He held out a slip of paper, urging Marinette to take it. “Come back tomorrow and we’ll give you a free drink.”

“Oh, that’s not necessary,” Marinette said, holding up her hands.

“Please,” Plagg said. “I insist. Adrien will make you one of his specials.” 

Reluctantly, Marinette took the slip of paper and slipped it into her purse. Not quite sure what to do from there, Marinette thanked them both again, nodding her head slightly. She turned on her heel, ready to walk out the door and begin the trek to her office when the sound of Adrien’s voice stopped her.

“Marinette.” She decided immediately that she liked the way her name sounded when he said it. 

She slowly turned her head, looking back over her shoulder. Quirking an eyebrow, she waited for him to continue, hoping that her expression was as composed as she thought it was. Her heart was pounding in her chest, but with any luck, the temperature that was rising rapidly beneath her skin would show itself as a blush. 

“Never mind,” Adrien said eventually. “Nothing. Never mind.” 

\--------------------------------

He could see her. He could see her standing there down towards the end of the line, just barely through the door, waiting for it to be her turn to order. 

Marinette- he was still barely used to her name, despite it running through his head continuously for the past twenty-four hours- had come back. For her third consecutive day. Of course, it was her choice to go where it pleased her, but whenever she showed up here, Adrien felt like a fool getting ready to make his first big slip up of the day. 

Marinette had certainly noticed his flustered appearance and stuttering the day before. Her brazen attitude and snarky comments had left him a mess due to what seemed to be an intentional act. God only knew what kind of pain she was planning on inflicting upon him today, and the time for that was fast approaching. Much too fast. 

When she was about three people away from the front of the line, Adrien finished up with a customer and turned to one of the baristas behind him. 

“Um, I’m going to take my ten,” he said, scratching the back of his neck. He only waited for his coworker to nod before walking through the entryway to the back of the café. 

Feeling as though he were sufficiently hidden from view, Adrien leaned up against the wall, throwing his head back and hitting it with a  _ thunk.  _ He winced for two reasons: 1) the pain that was now throbbing at the back of his skull, and 2) the knowledge that he was a coward for avoiding Marinette in such a way. 

This was necessary, he decided. He would miss her for the day, tell himself that whatever butterflies that were making their home in his chest would be gone tomorrow. He’d see her in the line the next day and not feel this way about her at all. 

Just to be safe, he would go take his break in the alley outside. Plagg had happily let Marinette into the back of the café yesterday, and Adrien didn’t trust him not to do the same today if he was feeling particularly nosy or mischievious. 

Adrien let out a deep sigh and started to make his way towards the back entrance. He’d slip out unnoticed and all would be fine. No problems here, he’d-

“What do you think you’re doing?” Adrien froze mid-step as he heard Plagg’s voice from behind him. Turning slowly on his heel, as though any sudden movement on his part would mean sudden death, he saw Plagg standing in the entryway, arms crossed over his chest. 

“I’m, uh-” Adrien stuttered and jabbed his thumb in the direction of the back door with a nervous smile. “I’m taking my break.”

Plagg, taking a few menacing steps forward, raised his eyebrow accusingly. “You didn’t clear that with me first.”

“Since when have we ever had to clear our breaks with you?” Adrien asked.

“Well, you can’t take your break right now,” Plagg said. His eyes flickered towards the open door back into the café just as one of the other baristas passed by. Plagg grabbed the girl by the arm, pulling her into the kitchen with them. “You can’t take your break right now because Alix has to take her break right now.”

“Alix took her break thirty minutes ago,” Adrien said. 

Plagg hesitated as he tried to formulate another excuse. “Well… She looks sick, doesn’t she?” He asked. Looking at Alix, Plagg gave her a threatening look. “Doesn’t she?”

Alix quickly nodded her head in agreement, and though Adrien was annoyed with the betrayal, he probably would have done the same when faced with Plagg’s evil eye. 

Sighing in defeat, Adrien rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. “Fine,” he said, heading towards the door.

As soon as he crossed the threshold, he saw Marinette standing there at the register. Her hands rested on the countertop, looking at him as though she had been waiting from him to walk out the door. Adrien gulped, immediately turning back to retreat, but found Plagg blocking his way out. Adrien towered over his boss, but Plagg was still intimidating enough that he wouldn’t dare try to push past. He slunk back like a wounded animal and took his place at the cash register. 

Marinette opened her mouth to speak as soon as he reached her, but Adrien barely let her get a word in. “I-” 

“I’ll have that right out for you,” Adrien said, grabbing the venti cup from the stack and scribbling her name down. 

“You didn’t even hear what I was going to say,” Marinette said. 

“I’ve gathered enough to know what it would have been,” Adrien responded. 

“Only two days and you already remember my order. Obsessed much?”

“No, you’re just that memorable,” Adrien said, and for a moment was able to hold his own against her incessant flirting, but as soon as a smile appeared on her face, Adrien broke. The smirk disappeared from his lips and he cleared his throat, forced to look away and regain his composure. 

Marinette seemed quite pleased with herself, an amused and proud look on her face as she reached into her purse and retrieved her wallet. Adrien held out his hand to stop her. “Uh, this one is free. Remember?”  
“Oh,” Marinette said, furrowing her eyebrows. “Well, I don’t mind paying. It’s just-”  
“NO,” Adrien said, rushing to interrupt her before she could get her money out. “No. We promised yesterday. Plagg wouldn’t like it if I didn’t keep a promise to a customer.” 

Reluctantly, Marinette slipped her wallet back into her purse. “Okay,” She said. “Then what can I do to repay you?” 

“Keep coming back,” Adrien said, instantly recognizing the pleading in his voice, the longing, and knew that he had to cover it up. “I mean- uh- keep- keep giving us your business. The best thing you can do is- uh- is- uh- keep being a loyal customer.” 

“Alright,” Marinette said. She nodded once. Adrien knew that he should rush her along. There were plenty of people in line behind her, but she was really the only person he liked seeing on the other side of that counter. Adrien thought that maybe- just maybe- Marinette didn’t want to just move along either. She was swaying back and forth on her feet, as though she were trying to get the momentum to take a step. Marinette cleared her throat and stuck her hands in her pockets. “See you later then.”

As she was walking, she drew a wad of cash out of her pocket and stuck it into the tip jar in one swift motion, all without breaking her stride. Looking at the amount, Adrien could tell that it was enough to cover her drink. “Hey!” he called out to her, but Marinette was already down at the other end of the room. 

Marinette waved back at him, waggling her fingers with a self-satisfied smile that would probably knock him off his feet if he wasn’t completely leaning up against the countertop. 

Adrien was frozen. Even after she turned her head away, he still stood there, unmoving. Only broken out of his stupor by Plagg patting him harshly on the back, Adrien had to shake his head vigorously a few times in order to clear it completely of the lingering haze. 

“Why don’t you go take your break  _ now _ ,” Plagg said. 

“Yeah,” Adrien said, clearing his throat. He tried to force himself to look away from where Marinette was standing, but ended up walking backwards towards the door to the kitchen. “Yeah, that’s- uh- That’s probably a good idea.” 

Marinette only disappeared from his view when he passed completely through the doorway, but, if it were up to him, he wished it hadn’t been so. He would have kept watching her until she was the one to leave, and he knew that Marinette had been right when she called him obsessed. 

*

_ Cool off,  _ Adrien kept repeating to himself.  _ Cool off, you’re getting too worked up over her.  _

He walked at a brisk pace that had the wind nipping and biting at his skin, and it helped make it feel less like he was suffering from a fever. Adrien wasn’t exactly looking where he was going. He just hoped that the people around him would avoid him. 

After this morning’s incident, Plagg had put him on delivery duty for the rest of the day. They often had offices put in orders through an online service, and now Adrien was walking, taking a dozen drinks at a time, to different high rises in the area. He wasn’t disappointed. It was a good workout and kept his mind off other things. 

Adrien waved at the receptionist as he entered his third stop of the day and made a beeline for the elevators. The directions had said the twelfth floor, and luckily- unlike the last place - the elevators actually worked in this building. 

The ride was silent; the only other person in the elevator with him was looking down at his phone, and Adrien kept his eyes on the buttons that glowed a bright orange as they passed each floor. When he stepped off, he did so mechanically, eyes glazed over and a blank expression on his face. He held the delivery crate in both hands, and, the only thing he was really conscious of was being careful not to bounce it against his legs as he walked. 

Adrien barely registered the sound of voices coming from the conference room as he walked towards it. He could see people sitting around a long table through the glass windows and the receptionist at the desk stood from her seat to open the door for him as he crossed the threshold. 

“The most important thing is ensuring that we receive the investment before the date otherwise we’ll be paying out of pocket for most of the fabrics again...” 

Adrien almost dropped the delivery crate on his toes. He recognized Marinette’s voice before he even saw her, but looked up to confirm his suspicions. She was standing at the front of the room, twirling a pen between fingers, talking to the room full of people. Marinette seemed confident, something Adrien didn’t find in the least bit surprising, but it certainly impressed him regardless. “I’ll be calling their offices again but-”

The pen dropped out of her hands as she froze in place at the sight of Adrien in the doorway. The others turned their heads, looking to see what had stopped Marinette so suddenly. Adrien was worried that his expression might look angry, aware of all the pairs of eyes that were now trained on him. He could see the people out of his peripheral vision, but his focus was placed squarely on Marinette. 

_ This is just a temporary setback, _ Adrien thought to himself.  _ Easily remedied.  _

Clearing this throat, Adrien stepped fully into the conference room with a smile on his face. He set the delivery crate down on the table and opened it up. “Hello,” he said as he started pulling out drinks. “Sorry for interrupting.”

“No problem,” replied the woman at the head of the table. She looked around to the rest of the people present. “Let’s take a break, yeah?”  
Marinette pointed to the presentation on the wall. “But, I-”

“Marinette has been very thorough explaining everything to us again,” the woman said. “I’m sure we could all use an early lunch.”

Before Marinette could protest, the others stood up, coming to collect their orders from Adrien. One by one, they filed out of the room with coffee and tea in hand, till just Adrien and Marinette were left with one another. 

Marinette boss patted her on the back as she picked up her drink. “See you later, Tikki,” she mumbled as she left. 

Adrien noticed Marinette’s awkward stance almost immediately. She looked at him unblinkingly, wringing her hands just above her waist. Adrien was in serious danger of ending up just like her, stuck in the moment of surprise that they would meet here like this. He couldn’t let that happen.

Reaching forward, Adrien took the last coffee cup off the table, reading the label on it and chuckled it himself. “I should have known,” He said. “Who else would be crazy enough to get something with this high caffeine content?”

“Most of the people working here,” Marinette said. Her voice sounded airy, as though she was barely breathing. “Probably.” 

“I wonder if this is fair, though?” Adrien set the cup back down, hand still poised on the lid as he twisted it around with his fingers. “You’ve already had one of these today- for free, too- Would it be responsible of me-”

“You don’t need to be responsible for me,” Marinette said. “I’ve got the same habits I’ve had since lycée. They haven’t caused any problems for me yet.”

Adrien narrowed his eyes, stepping forward, and watched as she reeled slightly backward. He found it amusing that she was so flustered. Adrien was so sure of the fact that Marinette had enjoyed torturing him when she’d come into the café the past two mornings. Now, the tables had turned in his favor, even if he hadn't planned it. It must have been divine punishment for all the sly smiles that now he would serve some of his own. 

“I’ll be taking this now,” Marinette said as she reached for the coffee cup, but Adrien tightened his grip and pulled it back out of her reach. She huffed in annoyance and reached for it again, only for him to move it away further. It didn’t matter how much she tried. Adrien just held the cup up above his head, and even in her work heels Marinette wasn’t able to reach it. 

“Have lunch with me?” Adrien asked. “Your boss just said everyone should take their lunch break, so have lunch with me.”

“Don’t you have a job you have to be at, too?” Marinette asked. 

Adrien shrugged and checked the time on his watch. “I could go for some lunch now, too.” 

Marinette sighed. “Okay,” She said, walking past him and taking the cup out of his hand. “Only because you’re threatening me with caffeine deprivation.”

When Adrien followed her, he hadn’t expected Marinette to duck into the break room and come out shoving packaged food into her coat pocket, or press the up button on the elevator instead of down. They took the elevator all the way up to the roof, and Marinette excitedly stepped out. 

“This is my favorite spot in all of Paris,” she said, walking backward to face him. 

“Your favorite place in the city is at your office building?” Adrien questioned. Had he not been so distracted by the beaming smile on her face, he might have understood what Marinette meant a little sooner. As soon as she stepped out of his line of sight, Adrien was met with the horizon. From the high rise, he could see all the way to the Eiffel Tower and beyond. Most of the city was just a miniature, a sprawling landscape of doll’s houses and bridges for ants. Adrien felt… larger than life up there. 

Marinette grabbed Adrien by the arm and led him over the glass wall that separated them from the edge. Reaching into her coat pocket, she pulled out one of the packaged pastries and handed it to him.

Once Marinette’s head turned forward and her eyes locked on the skyline, Adrien might have well not even existed anymore. They didn’t even waver as she raised the coffee cup to her lips and took a sip. 

The view directly before him was impressive, but Adrien was much more focused on watching Marinette enjoy it herself. 

“Do you…” Adrien started to say, wondering if she would even hear him. “Do you spend a lot of time up here?”

“When I can,” Marinette replied. “Things can get pretty stressful downstairs, and not a lot of people come up here- too windy and messes up their hair- So if I want to be alone…”

“Then, I should thank you for sharing your safe haven with me,” Adrien said. He could definitely get what Marinette had said about the wind. It was tussling his hair about, pushing it down to cover his eyes before changing direction and throwing it upwards. He tossed his head backwards, reveling in the cold, harsh breeze. “I’d kill to have a place like this to come to all the time.” 

Marinette’s eyes left the city for the first time since they had settled here, turning their focus on him. “Why don’t you work in an office then?”

“I like being carefree. I-” Adrien realized that he was giving the same old excuses he always did. The same excuses he had given Marinette the first time she had asked, and it was clear that she was asking again because she hadn’t believed them the first time. But no one ever pushed. Even if they knew he was lying, no one had ever asked a second time. “I… got tired of it. Working in an office for someone who couldn’t care less about me for so many years, you just want to do something else.” 

Marinette laughed. “But, you’re so young still,” she said. “Aren’t you?”

“Exactly,” Adrien said, beating his open palm down on the metal railing. His eyes shifted downward to his shoes. “I started working in a place like this long before I should have.” 

The soft laughter had disappeared, and Marinette was left with a serious expression on her face. She didn’t ask another question, or say anything else, really. 

Adrien cleared his throat and continued, looking back out to the horizon. “I like the café because… it feels like I have more control there,” he said. “Sure, it’s taking other people’s orders, but Plagg is flexible. He doesn’t crack the whip or yell when you do something wrong- Well, if it’s something huge that’s different, but not the small stuff. And I’m not just seeing the same few people every day. There’s always someone different…”

Adrien looked back to see that Marinette was still watching him as he rambled on. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet under her gaze, suddenly feeling self conscious. Was he doing the wrong thing by talking about himself too much? But Marinette’s eyes seemed to say “go on, I’m listening,” and Adrien couldn’t stop himself from saying what was fighting to get out.

“And… sometimes you get lucky,” Adrien said, swallowing nervously, “and someone comes along that you hope to see come back every morning.” 

A smile broke out on Marinette’s face, and she raised her cup to him with a gentle nod. “Keep giving me these, and I will.” 

Grateful that the tension he felt was weighing down on him suddenly disappeared with her words, Adrien snatched the coffee cup back from her. “Don’t make me into an enabler.” 

“Hey!” Marinette exclaimed, taking it back from him. She bumped into his side suddenly and, on instinct, Adrien wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Marinette stiffened, sucking in a deep breath, and Adrien felt the guilt at his unintentional action form a pit in his stomach. Perhaps this was too far, too forward. He went to move his arm when Marinette reached up, grabbing onto the fabric of his shirt and curling her fingers around it tightly. “Do you want to say up here for a while?” she asked. “Like this?”

Adrien relaxed his arm, letting it rest against her shoulders. “Absolutely, I do.” 

\-----------------------------------------

Marinette was practically skipping on her way to the café the next morning. She had gone to bed the night before, adrenaline pumping through her, in great anticipation of seeing Adrien again. 

Yesterday on the rooftop, they spent as long as they could together, and even when Adrien seemed to relax with his arm around her, Marinette hadn’t dared to let go of the fabric of his shirt. She wanted to be connected to him, to be- as he had said- someone he hoped to see every morning. 

Marinette had been so careless as to let herself form the slightest of feelings for him over the past few days. She had barely even noticed them appear until he had almost moved his arm from her. It was unclear how Adrien had gone from someone she barely knew, annoying her as she tried to buy the only thing that would get her through the day, to the person she looked forward to seeing the most in the world. 

She wouldn’t say it had been a mistake to flirt with him, even if it had just been a way to annoy him back at first. But now she wouldn’t be able to stop, and, even worse, she would be much more nervous about it now. 

Marinette joined the line again, the same as she had the past three days. When she entered the café itself, she could see Adrien standing at the counter. It took leaning outwards a little way past all the people to watch him behind the register. Adrien was smiling brightly, talking with the customers as he took their orders. She wanted to get in their place as quickly as possible. 

Adrien looked up from the cup he was writing on and did a double take as he spotted Marinette. She waved, flashing him a bright smile as he did his best to acknowledge her without drawing his attention away from his current customer. Marinette, in turn, did her best to be patient as she got closer and closer to the front. It was slow moving, or maybe it just felt that way. Nevertheless, it was an unfortunate thing she had to deal with. 

As he finished joking with another customer, Adrien looked back at Marinette once more, picking up a venti cup he had sitting on the counter next to him. Even from back there, Marinette could tell that it had her name and order already written out. She gave him a thumbs up, mouthing the words “thank you.” 

From where she was standing, Marinette watched as Adrien’s smile faded bit by bit as a new customer stepped up. She hadn’t even come from the line, but took her place in front of the counter as though she had always been there, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she turned her neck and stretched…and made eye contact with Marinette. 

It was for barely a second, but even in that small amount of time, Marinette noticed the sly smile and sharp look in her eye. She was certain the brown-haired woman didn’t keep that expression when she turned back around. Marinette stepped out of line just a little, getting closer to the register, straining to hear Adrien’s voice a over the rest of the chatter in the café.

“You know we don’t allow people to cut in line, Lila,” Adrien said, his voice not sounding even remotely friendly despite the convincing smile on his face. 

“But, can’t you make an exception just this once?” Lila asked, reaching her hand across the counter towards Adrien’s wrist. “For me?”

Adrien pulled his hand back and out of reach. “Please just follow the store policy. You’ve been here enough times to know that.” 

“But I’m busy today and I wanted to see you before I had to be on the other side of the city for brunch,” Lila said with a whine. “You should ditch this place and come with me. I promise you’ll enjoy it. It’s-”

“You know I don’t date customers, Lila.” 

The finality in Adrien’s voice, the “no room for discussion” tone, made Marinette’s heart clench tightly in her chest. Adrien didn’t date customers. That was exactly what Marinette was. 

“Okay,” Lila responded with a huff. “So, you don’t date customers, but that clearly doesn’t stop you from flirting with them.” 

“What the-” Adrien stopped himself before he said any words he would regret. “It’s none of your business what I do-”  
“It’s very much my business,” Lila said. 

Adrien looked away uncomfortably for a moment, taking a deep breath through his nose. Steam might as well have been coming out of his ears at this point, too. As he turned his head back, Adrien locked eyes with Marinette for a brief moment. Some of the anger boiling within him seemed to disappear for that one second, but it rose again as he turned his focus to Lila again. 

Marinette stepped forward, making her way past the rest of the customers in line in front of her who either didn’t care about the scene that was unfolding or were too engrossed with just watching the scene play out before them. Adrien looked about ready to punch something, though - or do something else that would end up getting him fired. 

“Excuse me,” Marinette said in the nicest tone she could muster. “The rest of us have been waiting for awhile, so if you could just go back to where you were before I’m sure all of us would really appreciate it.” 

Lila didn’t even turn to look at Marinette until she had finished her sentence. She seemed as though she was hoping that just her expression would reduce Marinette to ashes on the spot, but Marinette kept her composure. 

“I’m just trying to have a conversation that  _ doesn’t concern you,” _ Lila said. “ _ I’d _ appreciate it if you would  _ step off.”  _

The tone of Lila’s voice, though sharp like the edge of a knife, wasn’t enough to make Marinette back down. She cleared her throat, forcing her shoulders back and her chin up. “Still,” Marinette said with a small chuckle, “this isn’t very considerate to the rest of us-”

“Oh, and you care about being considerate?” Lila asked, taking a step close to Marinette.

“Lila,” Adrien said warningly, “just get back in line.” 

“I can’t imagine someone who is desperate enough-” Lila stood toe to toe with Marinette, her words reducing into a harsh whisper you’d have to be standing right next to them to hear. “-to flirt with a random barista, especially while being completely unaware of any prior  _ engagements _ they may have, would have the ability to be considerate.” 

Marinette’s eyes drifted over to Adrien and back as she did her best to hide the shaky breath she sucked in. The corner of Lila’s mouth ticked up to a smirk. It was clear that Lila wanted to sow seeds of doubt into Marinette’s mind. Her natural confidence, in the way she walked up here, the way she spoke - all of it made Marinette uneasy. Lila felt prepared enough to accuse her, someone she didn’t even know, of being the kind of person that Marinette hated the most: a cheat. 

Marinette mustered as much confidence as she could to match hers. “I don’t know what you’re talking about-”

“Oh, of course you do.” Lila rolled her eyes. “You’re  _ cute.  _ It certainly is helpful. Trust me, I know how to spot someone who uses that to their advantage. But it will never be enough to make him like you over me-”

“That’s enough,” Adrien said. He grabbed onto Lila’s wrist, pulling her away from Marinette. 

Marinette hadn’t even noticed when Adrien had come around to the other side of the counter, but he was standing by her side now, shoulders tense and jaw clenching. 

Lila gulped nervously. “Adrien, I was just-”

“Alix, can you go and get the manager?” Adrien asked, turning his back on Lila. “Tell him we’re having trouble with one of our regulars again.” 

Lila didn’t speak another word, and Marinette hoped that was the end of it. She turned on her heel as though about to walk away when she grabbed a drink right out of a passerby’s hand and in one fluid motion, tugged off the lid and dumped the contents straight onto Adrien’s head. 

“Count yourself lucky it’s iced,” Lila said. 

“What the hell is going on here?!” Plagg’s voiced boomed throughout the café, and if Lila’s antics hadn’t stopped all other conversations before, it fell completely silent now. Lila, Adrien, and Marinette all turned towards him, but Marinette was the only one scrambling for an explanation. Lila and Adrien both stood there silently fuming. Plagg placed a hand on Marinette’s shoulder as he walked past her, giving her a look that said to  _ stay out of it _ . 

Marinette wondered what she would do if she were to step up again. Would more insults be thrown in her face? The situation would probably escalate even more from there, and while she wanted to stand by Adrien’s side through it… Adrien did not seem like someone she knew at the moment. He seemed like a complete stranger. 

“This is the last time you’ll be allowed in here,” Plagg said harshly. Lila tried to best to keep her confident air as he stared her down, but Marinette could tell she was wavering. Plagg turned to the others working behind the counter. “You heard that?! Don’t serve her!” 

Before Plagg could turn back to her, Lila stormed off, pushing her way through the line of people and out the door of the café. People slowly started to go back to what they were doing, and someone else stepped up to the register, someone else came to take their order, but Marinette, Adrien, and Plagg still stood in a tight circle off to the side. 

Adrien’s chest rose and fell with harsh and shaking breaths. His clothes were drenched. The anger wasn’t something he had fully recovered from yet, and his stare still seemed far off and distant. 

Plagg was the first to break the silence. “Adrien,” he said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Adrien stiffened under his touch, but quickly recovered and finally moved his eyes from whatever void he had been staring into and looked back at Plagg. “Take the rest of the day off.”

“No, it’s fine,” Adrien said. “‘I’m fine.” 

Adrien went to adjust the tie on his apron, wiping some of the drops of coffee off it. “I’m fine,” he said again, shaking his head and started heading towards the kitchen. “Let me just go get changed-”

“Adrien,” Plagg repeated, stopping the barista in his tracks. “I wasn’t making a suggestion.” 

Plagg held out his hand and Adrien undid the tie on his apron, handing the wet piece of fabric over to his boss. Adrien didn’t even wait a second before he walked out the same as Lila, silently, but those blocking the path to the doorway parted for him. He was out the door before Marinette could even fully process that he had left. 

“Wait here,” Plagg said. “Let me make you your drink really quickly. It’s the least I can do-”

“No, thank you,” Marinette said as she looked out the door. She started walking normally but quickly picked her pace up to a jog and made her way out onto the street. 

Marinette looked back and forth down the sidewalk, hoping to catch a glimpse of Adrien or any sign of him so that she would know which way he had gone. Adrien had vanished into thin air.

*

Marinette came back every day that week. She’d stand impatiently at the end of the line, waiting to get inside, to have the register within view. Every day, Marinette hoped she would see Adrien standing there when she walked in, and every day she’d be met by someone who wasn’t him. 

Marinette would come in and order anyway. Plagg had gotten her regular order pretty much memorized. The drink tasted much more bitter now, though. There were no smiles to go along with getting it, no cracking flirtatious jokes that erred too much on the side of being actually serious. It was just bitter feelings and bitter coffee. 

Exactly a week from when she had last seen Adrien, Marinette skipped the line of the café entirely and went straight to one of the empty tables. She set her purse down on the wooden surface and settled in. With her arms folded over her chest, she kept her eyes on the counter and the entrance to the kitchen. If Marinette had any luck, any luck at all, Adrien would walk through that door and see her there waiting for him. But she seriously doubted she had any good fortune at all. 

Not even five minutes after she had arrived, a cup of coffee was set down in front of her. For the first time, Marinette looked away from the line and the register. Plagg, seated in the chair next to her, pushed the cup of coffee slightly closer to her without saying a word. 

Marinette’s fingers danced across the lid of the cup, but she didn’t pick it up. “I had the day off,” she said, her eyes downcast. “I thought I’d sit here, and… see if he showed up to work at all-”

“He’s taken a lot of time off,” Plagg interrupted. He scoffed. “I told him to take the one day and the kid calls me up the next morning telling me he won’t be coming in for a while. Didn’t even give me a day when he would be back.” 

Marinette ceased all movement. She might have stopped breathing, too. 

Adrien was just gone. He’d left with no way to get in contact with her, no other way to find him.  _ How could he- How could he do that?  _

_ Maybe he just didn’t want to see me.  _

The realization certainly wasn’t profound. In fact, considering it carefully, Marinette found it to be rather logical. Adrien barely knew her, so what would it matter to him if he didn’t see her for a week? 

“Look,” Plagg said in a cautious tone, “Adrien doesn’t do this sort of thing very often, and, in case this, I’m inclined to agree that he needs a break.” 

Marinette nodded slowly. “...But, you’re worried about him.” 

“You are too. I can tell,” Plagg said. He sighed, rapping his knuckles on the wood table. “I’m not exactly the warm and fuzzy type, so Adrien doesn’t find it easy to talk to me about those sort of things-”

“Feelings,” Marinette said.

“Well, yeah, feelings… I just think that you’ll have better luck than I will.” Plagg nodded. He knocked on the table again and stood up from his seat. “Coffee’s on me today, so get going.” 

Marinette’s eyebrows knit in confusion as Plagg walked off without another word. “Go where?!” she yelled to him. 

Slumping back into her chair, Marinette crossed her arms over her chest with a huff. Her eyes drifted downward, resting on the coffee cup in front of her. The black sharpie markings were partially hidden underneath the cup sleeve. “Marinette” was written there - not in the handwriting she was used to or wanted to see, but…

Upon closer examination, her name wasn’t the only thing written underneath the sleeve. Marinette pulled the flimsy piece of thin cardboard off, tossing it haphazardly on the table. Raising the cup closer to her face, she was better able to read Plagg’s messy writing. 

_ Adrien’s Address:  _

_ 7C, 47 Quai d’Orsay _

_ 75018 Paris _

Marinette stood up so quickly she almost flipped the chair onto its side. The loud scraping sound of the legs scooting across the floor garnered the attention of a few of the other café patrons, but Marinette paid no mind. She slung her purse over her shoulder, held the coffee cup tightly in her hand, and was out the door in under ten seconds. 

Looking at the busy street, it was unlikely that Marinette could get a cab to stop for her, but, luckily, she wasn’t too far from where she needed to be. Walking wouldn't be that difficult. It was her day off, so she was wearing sneakers, and the casual slacks allowed her legs to move much more freely than in a pencil skirt. Marinette could walk quickly, jog even, if she felt she could. And she did. 

The pace at which she was moving would wear her out quickly, and she risked showing up at Adrien’s apartment out of breath and disheveled. But Marinette wanted to see him, as soon as possible. She didn’t care for explanations at this point; she just hoped that when she finally did come face to face with him that he wasn’t still wearing the same dark and angry expression on his face from before. 

Marinette wanted to see Adrien smiling and happy. She wanted to make him happy.

Marinette wanted to be the first person he wanted to see every morning. 

Double checking the address on the cup, Marinette looked away from the sidewalk in front of her for just a brief moment. It was enough time for her to bump into the solid shoulder of someone much larger than she was. She regained her balance quickly enough, and turned back around to apologize. “Excuse me-” 

Marinette had not expected to see Adrien standing there, barely five feet away from her. Adrien surely had the same surprised look on his face that she did. This unexpected encounter was too good to be true. 

Adrien turned around completely so he was facing her. “Hi,” he said, his voice sounding absent of any sort of breath.

“Hi,” Marinette responded in kind. She pointed in the direction he had been walking. “You were just-”

“Yeah. And you were-”

“Going to see you.” 

Marinette was the first to step forward, and Adrien mirrored her until they were both standing directly on either side of a crack in the sidewalk. Adrien stood with his hands in the pockets of his coat. His eyes wouldn’t meet her own, looking at a store window, the cars passing by - everywhere but at her. “You were,” Adrien spoke slowly, “going to see me?” 

“Well, you haven’t exactly been around for a while,” Marinette said, shrugging. She leaned forward, staring more intently and finally he made eye contact with her. “Have you been avoiding me?” 

“What?” Adrien asked incredulously. “What? No. No, no, no, no, no. No. I wouldn’t- I wasn’t- I wasn’t avoiding you.”

“Okay, good,” Marinette said. “Just checking.” 

Adrien laughed and rubbed his hand down his face. As he let out a deep breath, his entire demeanor seemed to change. It was as though he had wiped a smile onto his face. “So, were you coming to see me just to ask that one question, or is there anything else I can do for you?”  
“No,” Marinette said, shaking her head. “I’ve just been going to the café every day and you haven’t been there-”

“You want me to make you your demon coffee?” Adrien asked. He nodded his head towards the cup in her hand. “Because it seems like someone else has already got you covered.”

Marinette gave him an exaggerated frown. “Well, yeah, I-”

“I can’t believe you would go to someone else to supply you in my absence,” Adrien scoffed. “Marinette, I’m slightly offended.” 

“Really? I’m on the verge of death if I don’t drink this and you’re offended?”

“That’s only going to keep you up all hours of the night. There’s no other value in it.”

“Uhh, being able to stay up all hours of the night is kind of the point.”

“If collapsing of exhaustion is your aim.”

“Well, maybe it is.” 

Adrien snatched the cup of coffee out of her hands and held it high up above his head as she tried to reach for it. “You are definitely not going to get this back now.” 

“Oh,  _ come on,” _ Marinette whined. “I need that.” 

“Absolutely not. Think of this as me saving your life in the long run.” Adrien put his hand square in the middle of her forehead, pushing her backward. 

Marinette huffed, dropping her outstretched arms to her sides. Adrien relaxed slightly, the arm holding up coffee high out of reach lowering a little. She waited, knowing that it was not enough to just get him to relax a little. Adrien needed to completely let his guard down for her to have a chance. 

Letting out a dejected sigh again, Marinette turned slightly on her heel as though to walk away, and, as quickly as she could, spun back around to try and grab the cup of his hand. Adrien saw her coming and scooted away from her, turning so that his back was facing her.

“No, come on!” Marinette shouted as she failed her arms to stop her momentum. 

Adrien raised the coffee cup to his lips, holding up his index finger out to her as Marinette regained her balance. Marinette’s eyes went wide as she saw Adrien gulp down every last bit of the drink. The grimace on his face was hard to miss, and he didn’t seem to be enjoying any of it.

“There,” Adrien coughed and sputtered as he finished the last of it and wiped his hand across his mouth. “Now you can’t have any of it.” 

Adrien tossed the empty cup inside of a nearby trash can. 

_ His address, _ Marinette thought, and went to go fish through the garbage. 

Adrien grabbed onto Marinette’s hand and started pulling her along with him down the sidewalk. “Come on, let’s go somewhere together,” he said. The quick pace he was walking at had Marinette moving at a slight jog to catch up. Adrien’s grip on her hand was tight, and after the initial shock of being pulled pretty much into his side had worn off, she wrapped her fingers around his hand. 

Adrien looked down at her with a smile. “I have no idea where I’m heading. Do you have any suggestions?” 

Marinette looked ahead of her. She was sure he thought that she was thinking of a response to his question, but she was trying to decipher this sudden change in behavior. Adrien had fallen back into the sweet personality that she knew so easily. He was teasing her, smiling at her, taking her hand without any hesitation. Marinette was getting exactly what she wanted, but it still felt odd. It was in her best interest, however, not to complain in this situation. 

“I’m kind of hungry,” Marinette said.

“Perfect,” Adrien nodded. “Me too.”

*

_ Bubbly. _ Bubbly was the perfect word to describe Adrien at this moment. Marinette watched him bounce up and down on his toes, unable to sit still for even five seconds. While they were seated in the restaurant, Adrien couldn’t stop himself from drumming on the table with the end of his fork. He just kept jamming out to some imaginary tune. Marinette couldn’t help but smile at it. He wouldn’t say so, but he was clearly hyped up on the caffeine that he had stolen from her. She wouldn’t be surprised if she saw him start shaking like he was stuck in his own, personal earthquake. 

“The food here is really good,” Adrien said in between bites. He picked up his glass of wine, taking a few small sips. 

“Have you been here before?” Marinette asked. She was twirling angel hair pasta around on her fork. 

Adrien shrugged. “A few times, but that was years ago. It was just the first place that popped into my mind.” 

Marinette nodded along as she took another bite of her food. After she had finished, she carefully set down her fork and folded her hands in her lap. “So,” Marinette said, waiting for some sort of sign that he had heard her before he continued. “Do you think you’re going to go back to work?”

“Is this about me not being there to make you coffee again?” Adrien asked. 

“No,” Marinette said. “I was just curious. Plagg said you didn’t tell him when you would be back.” 

Adrien picked up his napkin, wiping his face. “I didn’t,” he said. “I’m not sure when I’ll be going back.” 

“Plagg also said you don’t take breaks like this enough,” Marinette said. “I just want to make it clear I’m not here to pester you on his behalf.”

“No, I didn’t think you were,” Adrien said with a soft laugh. His expression grew more serious. “I think I just needed to have a break.  _ That _ wasn’t really the cause, it was just the final straw.” 

“So, you still love working there?” Marinette asked.

“Of course,” Adrien said. “Learning not to let other people ruin the things you love because of their own actions is difficult, but important. I’m not going to let one bad customer make me hate something I enjoy doing, even if it is just making coffee.” 

“Okay, but,” Marinette said, leaning forward as though about to share an important secret. She spoke in a whispering voice. “You have to tell me, do you even like coffee? Because it really seems like you don’t.”

Adrien leaned in, his face just inches away from her own. His eyes glanced from side to side. “I’m actually more of a tea person.” 

“I can’t believe it,” Marinette said with an overdramatic gasp. 

“Yes, I hate it,” Adrien said. “Which is why I am regretting drinking all of that…”

Marinette raised an eyebrow as Adrien trailed off and looked off to the side. She reached across the table, placing her hand on top of his. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Adrien said with a small nod. “Yeah, I’m just- I’m suddenly realizing that I shouldn’t have had all that caffeine and wine.”

_“Oh,_ no.” Marinette’s eyes widened in realization. She got up from her seat and walked around to the other side of the table. “Are you okay? How do you feel.”  
“Like my heart is going to burst out of my chest,” Adrien said. Marinette placed a hand on his shoulder and Adrien immediately reached up to grab it. He turned his head and Marinette studied the look on his face. Adrien let out a shaky breath. “That hit- That hit really quickly.” 

“Okay,” Marinette said, grabbing her purse from where it was hanging on her chair. “Okay, I’m going to go pay, and then we’ll get you home.”

“But, I was supposed to pay,” Adrien whined, trying to grab her arm to stop her

Marinette pried his fingers from her wrist. “That doesn’t really matter, and we can argue about it later. How does that sound?”

Adrien nodded slowly and Marinette went to go pay the bill, hoping she could get him out of there before his head hit the table.

Nearly fifty minutes after they had left the restaurant, Marinette had managed to get them back to the right street (Quai d’Orsay, she remembered that much). She helped Adrien get out of the taxi cab, and they stood in front of what, Mairnette was fairly certain, was his apartment building. 

Adrien was bent over at an odd angle, his head resting on Marinette’s shoulder. If he had been standing up straight, Marinette’s shoulder would have been the same height as his chest. Still, he leaned on her as though it wasn’t an issue, resting one arm on the top of her head.

“Hey,” Marinette whispered. “What’s your apartment number?”

Adrien mumbled in response, and his shoulders rose in an over exaggerated shrug. Marinette let out a deep sigh, hanging her head and making Adrien bend forward slightly with her. “I knew throwing that cup away would turn out badly.” 

Dragging him up the steps with her, Marinette saw someone coming out of the gate just as she reached it. They stepped back, holding the gate open so Marinette and Adrien could pass through. 

“Um, excuse me?” Marinette asked, and pointed at Adrien’s face. He drooped forward, and her index finger poked his cheek. “Do you know this man? What apartment does he live in?”

“7C,” Adrien finally mumbled. 

Marinette craned her head to look at him annoyance and briefly turned back to the other resident. “Thank you anyway.” 

As she walked through the halls of the building, Marinette couldn’t but notice how  _ expensive _ the place looked. It was clearly an old building, but it didn’t look lived-in in the slightest. The carpeted floor was spotless, and there were fresh flowers sitting on tables all along the hall that didn’t look remotely wilted. 

Marinette found 7C after a while, dragging Adrien along with her. As she stood in front of the door, Marinette was now met with a new problem: she didn’t know how to get into his apartment. 

Setting Adrien down wasn’t exactly an option. Marinette probably would never get him back up off the floor again, and it was difficult to search for his keys in this position- only, there wasn’t a key hole in the door.

Marinette noticed the fingerprint scanner for the first time and grabbed onto Adrien’s right hand, holding up his thumb. The handle lit up green as he touched the pad and Marinette quickly kicked open the unlocked door with her foot. “What kind of rich person-” 

She shook her head as they entered the room. The lights came on immediately, and Marinette was thankful that she wouldn’t have to stumble around in the dark carrying what might as well have been a dead body on her back. 

“Is your bedroom down this way?” Marinette asked as she started walking towards the hall. Getting across the living room felt like she was crossing an entire ocean. The place was huge, and Marinette didn’t understand how he could afford it while working at a café. She just couldn’t wrap her brain around it.  _ Christ, I’m going to need a chiropractor after this. _

Once again, Marinette was forced to kick open a door with her foot, and deposited Adrien on the side of the bed closest to the door. She took off his shoes, setting them next to the closet. Marinette wasn’t sure how to get the covers over him at that point. She stood beside him, wondering what else she could do.

“You’ve really crashed bad,” Marinette said, reaching to brush a strand of blond hair out of his eyes. “I’m going to get you some water.”

Just as Marinette went to leave, Adrien’s hand grabbed onto her arm, tugging her back to him. Marinette fell, laying across his chest as Adrien’s arms wrapped around her, trapping her there against him. Her eyes widened in surprise. Adrien seemed to be pretty much asleep, totally unaware of what he had done. As he shifted in bed underneath, Marinette gripped his bicep, hoping he wouldn’t release her and send her tumbling off the side of the bed. 

Adrien’s arms were still wrapped tightly around her waist, but Marinette eventually was able to maneuver herself so she was tucked into his side, her forehead pressed up against his chest. She stayed silent, listening to the sound of his breathing slow down gradually until he was finally asleep. Marinette couldn’t stop smiling, feeling his heartbeat in his chest. She wondered if when Adrien did wake up, and she was still stuck here, if he would be embarrassed to find her next to him like this. Even asleep, his grip hadn’t loosened. His legs had moved and sprawled out on top of her own. Marinette didn’t think she would be moving anytime soon. 

One of her hands rested at his waist. Marinette gripped the fabric of his shirt in her fingers, just as she had when they were on the rooftop together. Again, it was a silent prayer that he wouldn’t move, wouldn’t let go of her until she was completely ready for him to. Like before, Marinette knew she wanted to stay here for a long, long time. 

When Adrien woke up, she knew that she would still tease him, still flirt with him just as brazenly, but she would make sure that Adrien knew she meant it. It wasn’t just a joke, or a way to annoy him for ,what she knew deep down, was him caring for her, too. 

\--------------------------

Adrien’s eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the light in the room. He was somewhere comfortable, but completely unsure of how he got there. His brain felt fuzzy, like there were bees in there. Did he somehow get bees in his head? 

He groaned and went to roll over, only to realize his arm was stuck underneath something lying next to him. 

Adrien opened his eyes completely, coming face to face with a sleeping Marinette. 

Marinette.

Sleeping. 

Marinette sleeping in his bed. 

Her lips were parted slightly, hair falling over her eyes like a curtain. Adrien pushed the dark locks behind her ear. As carefully as he could, Adrien pulled his arm out from underneath her and crawled off the bed on the opposite side. 

Standing up straight, Adrien felt a sharp pain in his lower back. He had no clue how that happened but it felt like someone had bent him in half backward. Adrien groaned and stretched and then went back to looking at Marinette. 

She was sleeping peacefully, so it would be wrong to wake her up, right? Adrien had no clue why she was sleeping here anyhow, so she might have needed the extra hours of shut eye. 

Scratching the back of his neck, Adrien went to the chest at the end of the bed, pulling out one of the quilted blankets and draping it across her. He caught sight of the alarm clock on the bedside table. 

_ 3:30 AM. _

This was not a time for mortals like himself to be up, but he couldn’t go back to sleep now. Adrien felt awake, wide awake. Going to his closet, he pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, and started to undress. Adrien paused with his shirt halfway over his head, looking back at the woman fast asleep on his bed. As quietly as he could, Adrien scooped up the clothes and walked out into the hallway, shutting the door carefully behind him.

He went into the bathroom and quickly got changed before heading towards the kitchen.

“Looks like I’ll just have to occupy myself for a few hours,” Adrien said, opening the doors of the refrigerator. 

The amount of food that sat around him a few hours later was probably overboard, even if he did have a guest. Pulling the last pancake off the griddle, Adrien went to the coffee maker next pouring the coffee he had brewed into a random mug he had pulled from the cupboard. The  _ “have a great meow-ning” _ printed in bright green letters on the side were enough to get a sensible chuckle from his tired brain. 

Coffee offering in hand, Adrien made his way to the back bedroom. He pushed the door open a crack and saw that Marinette was still sleeping, but had rolled to the middle of the bed, wrapping herself up like a burrito with the blanket. Adrien sat down on the side of the bed and lightly tapped her shoulder. 

“Marinette,” He whispered in a soft voice. She grumbled in response and tried to roll further away, but got stuck by the blanket she was tightly tucked into.  _ “Mariinneeettteee.”  _

Rolling back toward him, and just barely awake, Marinette tried to rub the sleep from her eyes before letting her hand drop like a corpse to the bed. 

“Should I have let you sleep a little longer?” Adrien asked, receiving another grumble. 

“Sorry,” Marinette said, trying and failing to sit up. Adrien set the coffee on the bedside table and helped her get out of her blanket prison. “If you need to kick me out now, that’s okay.” 

“Kick you out?” Adrien asked. “I have an entire feast prepared that I need help with.” 

Grabbing the coffee again, Adrien stuck the cup right under her nose. “Your first course to help you wake up. Just the way you like it.” 

Marinette carefully took the hot cup from his hands. She took one small sip, letting the taste sit in her mouth for a moment before taking another, larger one. “It’s sweet.” 

“Sweet?” Adrien asked, quirking an eyebrow. “Hold on, how can it be sweet?”

Adrien went to take the coffee from her hands, but Marinette pulled away, careful not to let it spill on the bed. “Oh, no. We don’t need you doing that again,” she said. Drinking more, Marinette pulled the cup away with a smile. “It’s very sweet. I haven’t had sweet coffee like this in a week.” 

Adrien’s eyebrows were knitted together in confusion, but realization had slowly dawned on him. She hadn’t had coffee like that in a week. He hadn’t made coffee for her in a week. Adrien smiled brightly. He grabbed her hands that were resting with the coffee cup in her lap and raised them towards her face. “Here, have some more.”

“Hold on,” Marinette said laughing. “It’s not good to drink this all at once.” 

Passing the mug to Adrien, Marinette threw off the blanket and crawled out of bed. She stretched her arm above her head and Adrien noticed as her shirt rose up a little, revealing her skin. He blushed, looking into the cup of coffee. This was the first time someone else had slept in that bed with him, the first time someone was here long enough to spend both the night and morning with him. 

“Direct me to the feast, please,” Marinette said with a yawn. 

“Right this way, my lady,” Adrien said, and lowered himself into a mock bow. Marinette laughed at his gesture and took the coffee back from him.

His arm was still outstretched from holding the drink for her, and before could lower it, Marinette intertwined their fingers. “Lead the way,” she said. 

The kitchen was full of natural lighting streaming in through the windows. As Adrien seated Marinette at the kitchen table, a soft, glowing halo formed around her. She waited patiently as Adrien brought food and plates to the table. He looked at her almost empty cup of coffee. “Do you want a refill?”

“No, thank you. Just sit with me,” Marinette said, nodding to the chair next to her. Adrien began dishing all the different food onto their plates as Marinette carefully picked up her fork. “Why do you have coffee here, anyway? I didn’t think you’d keep it in the house since you don’t like it.”

“Uhhh,” Adrien said, scratching the back of his neck, remembering the very early shopping errand he had made. “I had some from the café that Plagg had me take home.” 

Marinette nodded in understanding. She started eating, giving him compliments on his cooking and thanking for the meal. Adrien took small bites at a time, but he was stuck watching her. The light around her made it seem fake, like a dream. He knew that Marinette really was here, and he wanted her to be. Adrien wanted her to be there every morning. 

“Do you-” Adrien asked. “Do you have the rest of the day off?”

“No,” Marinette said, shaking her head. “But, I could. Why?”

“No reason.” Adrien shrugged. “You just look tired- Not that you look tired, but- Maybe you could rest another day?”

“I mean, maybe not  _ rest _ rest,” Marinette said. “I’d like to go somewhere.” 

Adrien nodded along. “I can arrange that. I’ll clean up and you can use the bathroom down the hall.”

“Sounds good,” Marinette said, standing up from the table. Adrien watched her leave before turning his head down to the mess of plates in front of him. Marinette’s coffee cup still had a little left inside. He picked it up, raising it to his nose and inhaling the aroma of the light roast. Just as he was about to take a sip, the mug was taken from his hands and set back down on the table. 

Marinette came into view, sitting down on his lap and cupping his cheeks with her hands. She kissed him softly once, and Adrien drew her in deeper a second time. His hands gripped her waist, fingers curling into the fabric of her shirt. Her lips tasted like coffee, but somehow Marinette had been right. It was sweet.

A soft smile appeared on her lips as she drew back, their faces just inches away from each other. 

“Good morning,” Marinette said.

Adrien kissed the tip of her nose.

“Good morning.” 

**Author's Note:**

> This note comes from after i originally posted this: I have changed the comments so that only registered users can post them. The Lila anon would not stop commenting and it got very annoying and I didn't want to deal with it anymore. I'm sorry if you don't have an ao3 and wanted to leave a comment. Thank you very much if you read this!


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